Xbox One Play & Charge battery pack lasts 'about 30 hours' on a single charge

And recharges in three.

The rechargeable battery pack included in the official Xbox One Play & Charge Kit "lasts about 30 hours" on a three-hour charge, Microsoft has revealed.

The figure means that the Xbox One battery pack offers 20 per cent more playing time than the Xbox 360 equivalent, which offers up to 25 hours on a single charge.

The Play & Charge Kit is expected to cost £19.99 when the console goes on sale this November.

But should you choose to stick with disposable AA batteries, you may get an even greater play time than using the official rechargeable pack, CVG claims.

AA batteries on an Xbox One controller "will usually last about 40 hours," the site states.

Improvements to the Xbox One's controller were discussed in a new video released by Microsoft earlier today. Alongside enhancements to the controller's design, general manager of Xbox Accessories Group Zulfi Alam also discussed the controller's reduced input lag, making it 20 per cent faster than the current Xbox 360 wireless controller.

15 Comments

User Comments

i disagree i like the plug and play also u can use normal rechargeable batteries , if there built in and the batteries die say goodbye to controller, stuff playstation this is microsoft fans , and i represent there choice on controller

A pad should be built to last I agree. I used my original 360 white pad right up to the point where I got the gears controller with gears console. The only reason I swapped then was the improved d-pad. The only degradation the pad showed was the nipples on the analogue sticks being worn away. Did also look a little grubby in the joins but a fold of card and alcohol wipe and it cleaned right up. Unlike the original consoles the controllers were superb and still are.

My biggest gripe with play and charge on both consoles was the trickle charge never stopping if you left the things plugged in something I believe has been fixed for this gen.

"The degradation of batteries is part of life. If a battery is inbuilt it will mean replacing the console at some point"

In my experience the controller itself gives out before the battery does or it a least becomes less responsive and agile etc. So a nice brand new crispy controller goes down a treat. With that in mind though i do hope these next gen pads last a lot longer with them being so pricey.

Couldn't disagree more. The degradation of batteries is part of life. If a battery is inbuilt it will mean replacing the controller at some point during the lifespan of the console for most or hacking it apart for us technically savvy and changing it out which I can confirm isn't that difficult but still a pain and runs the risk of ruining your pad. Done about 10-15 of these replacements for women in work and friends and it's an annoyance.

AA batteries are the best option for any device of this nature simply because they are cheap and easy to replace.

I would go as far as saying I will not be buying a play and charge kit but a couple of sets of good rechargeable AA's with a quick charger. Even the battery packs supplied by MS for 360 had about an 18 month life cycle but most of the third party packs were atrocious. I'm glad I still have the AA option and very glad that these are easy to change out. Only reason I'd get a play and charge kit is because the new pads use the cable as if it was wired device.

I still can't believe they are requiring batteries, they are the worst thing about technology always have been, they aren't cheap, they don't last long and you never have any to hand when they run out, rechargeable battery packs are ok but would be better if they were just built in like a PS3 controller, they could at least supply the packs with the console but I bet they don't even supply a pack of AA's either.

Pads are a very personal preference imo, can you really declare a winner without having tried both?

For instance, take clockpunk's weight comment. Whilst I prefer the 360 pad, I actually prefer the weight of the PS3 pad. Analogue stick position has always been better on the 360 apparently but I've never had an issue jumping between both pads and actually have no favourite in that sense.

The rechargeable pack/batteries should be under a cover that is screwed in place. Several of my Xbox controls have issues with the pack coming loose so any slight jolt of the control turns the damn thing off. Frustrating during online games ><

How long do you play games straight? 40? 50 hours? I think is plenty of time, when I am done playing I put my controller back on charge so the next time I use it it will be ready and also who plays games for more that 10 hours straight maybe 6 or 7 yeah but c'mon this controller wil last up to 3 days (not constantly on for 3 days) without going flat maybe more.

To ask a battery pack to last a few years of charging and discharging is asking a lot of it. Apple has gotten tons of grief over making the battery pack inaccessible and charging through the nose for replacing it. No, removable battery packs should be required for all electronic devices, if only for recycling.